St. George’s, August 31, 2012 – Celebrity athlete Kirani James is spending his first full day in Grenada as part of a weekend of celebrations marking his Olympic 400 meter gold medal victory.
James, who will be the centre of attraction at events on Saturday and Sunday, arrived in Grenada Friday evening to a rousing welcome at Maurice Bishop International Airport.
At the London games in August, the five-feet-11-inch-tall Grenadian track star, captured the 400 gold in 43.94 seconds. He also holds the World Championships’ 400 title.
During a stop-over in Barbados Friday, James was a special guest of the country’s sports officials, according to a report in the Barbados Nation newspaper.
“The man who struck gold is finally getting to take it home,’’ Nation said. “At long last!’’
It added: “Kirani James is more than ready to celebrate with the rest of Grenada – both the country’s first ever Olympic gold medal and his 20th birthday – after the world’s best 400-metre runner finally wrapped up his hectic international calendar. But he had just one more stop to make, taking his talents to the South Coast for a brief lunch with Barbados’ top sporting brass while in transit. And he wasn’t shy in sporting Grenada’s biggest accomplishment yet.’’
